Phillies turn no-no into rout in sweep-clinching win over Brewers

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins hits a two-run scoring single during the eighth inning of Thursday’s 9-1 win over Milwaukee, which has Rollins to thank for breaking up Matt Garza’s no-hitter an inning earlier. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

MILWAUKEE — Jimmy Rollins has been around long enough to see a lot of weird scenarios.

So as stunning as the Phillies’ famine-to-feast, 9-1 win over the Brewers might have been to those who saw Matt Garza take a no-hitter into the seventh inning for Milwaukee at Miller Park Thursday, that wasn’t the baffler to Rollins, who broke up the no-no with a single in the seventh and fueled a seven-run explosion in the eighth with a two-run hit.

“I’ve seen that before,” the veteran shortstop said.

What does make Rollins scratch his shaved dome in wonder is how the Phillies can walk into Turner Field, Busch Stadium and Miller Park and play well enough to go 9-2 in road series against those three teams, yet when they return home Friday to play their final series before the All-Star break against the Nationals, it will be to an 18-27 record at Citizens Bank Park and a .231 team batting average at home.

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“It’s not good at all,” said Rollins. “I don’t know what it is, honestly.

“Baseball is a funny game. You hear it a lot and it’s very cliche, but it is. A guy goes from a no-hitter to getting a loss. And from the other side, we’re getting no-hit, (and you think), ‘Dang, one run might win it today.’ Then we score seven (in the eighth) and two (in the ninth).

“It’s crazy. ... You just hope it’s good crazy and not bad crazy. We’ve been a lot of bad crazy.”

Matt Garza was crazy-good through the first six frames, with a Marlon Byrd fifth-inning walk representing the only base runner the Phillies managed. The no-no ended when Rollins hit a clean single through the right side of the infield to start the seventh. Chase Utley followed with a single to center, but after both advanced on a Ryan Howard groundout, Rollins was cut down at the plate when he tried to score on Byrd’s bouncer to shortstop.

With two outs and two on in the eighth, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke might have gone to his ’pen one batter too soon. The Phillies had runners at second and third with two outs thanks to a double by Cameron Rupp and walk by Cesar Hernandez, and Garza was taken out. That meant Rollins got to face southpaw Will Smith, even though with his single Rollins was just 4-for-23 lifetime against Garza.

“I already knew they were going to bring in a lefty,” Rollins said. “I wasn’t prepared to face Garza. I knew that was going to happen.”

Rollins didn’t waste the chance, lining a single to left that gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead. Then the inning went sideways on Smith. Utley walked, and Howard made Smith pay by dropping a ground-rule double just inside the foul line along the left-field warning track. Cody Asche followed with a ground-rule double after Byrd had been intentionally walked. And Dom Brown slapped a single up the middle.

It was 7-1, the most runs in an inning by the Phillies since scoring seven against the Mets in a game a year and a day earlier.

Suddenly, rookie David Buchanan, who had been pulled for a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth, could see his fine pitching performance leading to a win.

“That was great,” said Buchanan (5-5), who lowered his ERA with the Phils to 4.40 in 10 starts, which includes a 2.93 in his last five outings. “That was huge, especially at that time of the game.”

Buchanan, who emerged as the first starter waiting in Triple-A with a standout spring, played it humble after the game.

“Ah, man. I don’t know anything about that,” he said. “When Cliff comes back, whatever happens, happens. I’ve enjoyed my time here. It has been a great experience for me.”

With only three games left before the All-Star break, the Phillies sent Buchanan to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in favor of some added bench depth in the form of Grady Sizemore.

Sizemore could see some time in the outfield, and the Phillies wouldn’t mind if he added some offensive pop at the plate. In 10 games with the IronPigs, Sizemore hit .289, with 13 hits and five runs scored. He was cut by the Boston Red Sox last month.